1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device for use with gastrointestinal-type tubes, and more particularly to a securing arrangement for use with low profile gastrointestinal feeding systems. More specifically, the present invention relates to a securing device for securing a feeding set to a low profile gastrostomy tube located outside the patient in order to prevent it inadvertent removal of the feeding set therefrom.
2. Prior Art
Low profile gastrointestinal feeding systems are frequently used for long term tube fed patients who are ambulatory and/or in a combative state and require some type of gastrostomy device to provide nutrition to a patient unable to take nutrition orally. These gastrointestinal systems comprise a feeding set attached to a source of nutrition at one end and a low profile gastrostomy tube at the other end. The low profile gastrostomy tube is normally inserted through a stoma formed in the patient's abdominal wall utilizing an internal retention member disposed inside a patient's viscera to anchor the free end of the gastrostomy tube inside the viscera. The internal retention member attaches to a distal or free end of the low profile gastrostomy tube to hold and affix a hollow organ of choice, e.g. the stomach, against the posterior abdominal wall of a patient. The hollow organ is so affixed by capturing the organ wall and abdominal wall between the internal retention member secured inside the organ and an external retention member seated on the outer abdominal wall outside a patient with a hollow tubular member attached between the respective retention members. The tubular member provides a fluid pathway between the feeding set connected to a source of nutrition and the internal retention member disposed inside the patient.
A typical internal retention member is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,248,302 to Patrick et al. entitled "Percutaneous obturatable Internal Anchoring Device" which describes a deformable obturatable internal retention member designed to pass through a stoma formed in a wall of the abdomen and stomach or other viscera of a patient in order to secure the low profile gastrostomy tube within the organ of choice and is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety. The method of using this type of obturatable internal retention member consists of inserting an obturator rod into the lumen of the low profile gastrostomy tube until the rod abuts or engages the distal end of the internal retention member. The internal retention member comprises a plurality of flexible retaining arms attached to the hollow tubular member that mechanically elongate and thereby slenderize the silicone, latex or polyurethane retaining arms to a size about that of the diameter of the tubular member when the obturator rod is pushed axially toward the patient. Such slenderization of the retaining arms allows safe insertion or removal of the tubular member and internal retention member into or from an established, matured stoma of a patient. Such obturatable internal retention members are currently the most common means used to insert, anchor and secure the low profile gastrostomy tube in a matured stoma of a patient.
After the internal retention member has been inserted inside the stomach, the obturator rod is withdrawn through the tubular member which allows the flexible retaining arms of the internal retention member to assume its preset enlarged shape, thereby retaining the internal retention member inside the stomach so that it cannot be withdrawn back through the stoma. Once the internal retention member assumes its preset enlarged shape the feeding tube with a connection member at one end is attached to the external retention member of the low profile gastrostomy tube in order to establish fluid flow communication between the source of nutrition and the patient's stomach. In this way, nutrition is provided to the patient through the low profile gastrostomy tube. Unfortunately, fluid flow communication between the source of nutrition and the patient may be interrupted by inadvertent removal of the feeding tube from the connection member by a patient in a combative state or a person passing too close to the feeding set, thereby creating a critical situation where the patient may starve from lack of nutrition.
Therefore, there appears a need in the art for a securing device that securely engages the connection member of a feeding set to the external retention member of a low profile gastrostomy tube so that inadvertent removal of the connection member is prevented.